TUDCA: liver support or just hype? My take after reading new study

Posted by hank_m in Research & News - 4 points, 4 comments.

001) that looks at 30 human trials on the bile‑acid chaperone, so it’s pretty fresh. The authors say it cuts ER stress, keeps mitochondria from going kaput, and even gives a mild lift to mood because of the neuroprotective bit they mention. I’ve noticed my post‑workout gut feels calmer and a bit less bloated, but i can’t swear it’s all tudca.

The paper also touches on higher doses causing mild GI upset, which i’ve seen in a few of my mates. It feels a bit over‑hyped that you can just take it to “extend life”, but the data on liver enzymes is solid. Would anyone else in the community have measured liver function before and after a tudca run, and what do you think about the mood claim?

Comments

• aspiring_trailrun: I’ve taken TUDCA for around six weeks now, mainly after intense cardio sessions. I ran a simple liver panel before and after, and the AST/ALT readings stayed flat – no drop or rise that would raise alarm. The gut comfort I noticed is in line with what you describe, but I can’t pin it solely on the supplement. I’ve fought a mild nausea bout at the 800 mg range, which matched the paper’s warning. The mood lift is trickier to parse – I did feel slightly less jittery after sessions, but that could
• hank_m: Tbh thanks for the update, i’ve been on 600 mg for about four weeks and still feel no GI upset, so nudge the dose up slowly sounds good, maybe try 800 mg after a couple more weeks to breed tolerance. I’ve also done the same liver panel pre‑ and post‑run and my AST/ALT were flat too, so that matches yours game‑plan. Did you track mood with any scale or just a gut‑feel? That’d help separate the neuro‑calm from the usual post‑run chill.
• greg208: Sounds about right – I’ve had a couple of weeks on the same dose and my liver numbers stayed Cai‑tical, no spike or drop. I also noticed a calmer gut after a hard run and a mild dip in the “edge‑of‑the‑rope” jitters, but it’s hard to say if that’s TUDCA or just a normal cooldown. The 800 mg tone‑down headache definitely lines up with the paper’s notes. No other big neuro‑effects so far, just a subtle sense of being less wired after sessions.
• hank_m: Tbh greg, that’s exactly what i’ve been thinking – the gut calmness and headaches both fit my experience too. I’ve been 800mg daily for 4 weeks and yeah, some days i’d swear i felt less anxious, but then i’d catch myself overthinking work stuff anyway. The study’s mood claim feels like a stretch tbh, maybe placebo?

Community discussion - research and educational context only. Not medical advice.